Felt strong all morning. Craig Barnes came over and mentioned that he just discovered the "throw down" - Josh Green Virtual Open Water Race. He said if he can handle the gag reflex, he may just go for it. I was about to egg him on ("No flip turns Craig") just to ensure he actually follows through in the spring. I'd love for him to go for it and break the record.

Tonight.... "polar bear" swim at Bountiful Lake. Hopefully the water is colder than 60, but probably won't be.

If you live in Utah and plan a marathon swim in the ocean, the best place to train is NOT in the pool! Not even in a freshwater reservoir. The best place to train for those conditions is in the Great Salt Lake! This precious resource needs protection and understanding. Learn more about the lake and don't be another "ignernt" local.

My Preferred Swim Safety Devices

Unlike when you train in a pool, when you train in open water you don't have a lifeguard there watching you and making sure you're safe.

With open water, there are potentially even more hazards than when swimming in a pool. That is why it is very important to consider a safety device.

The things I look for in a safety device (in addition to whether it can actually keep me afloat in an emergency) are:

Visibility - does the item provide greater visibility for boats and stands out enough to be easily seen from shore.

Waterproof storage and ability to stow fuels - For those long swims I like the ability to get access to a drink or a solid. Also would be nice to stow GPS/phone for distance tracking and emergency phone calls if necessary.

Lack of drag - If it has a serious amount of drag I will not want to train with it.

With those primary objectives there are three safety devices that I support in this order:

Safer Swimmer Device (SSD) - This is the more affordable option but is weaker than the Swimmer Buddy in the accessibility to fuels area, and has slightly more drag than the Swimmer Buddy, but still a very good choice.

Swim Safe - It is designed primarily to be used as a device to be deployed using a CO2 cartridge if you run into trouble. But can be blown up like the SSD and pulled behind you. It has very little drag, but lack any storage abilities.